Jesus when a child, such a record has not been deemed
necessary for the illustration of the work of redemption. It would
appear that He spent about thirty years on earth almost unnoticed and
unknown; and He seems to have been meanwhile trained to the occupation
of a carpenter. [17:3] The obscurity of His early career must doubtless
be regarded as one part of His humiliation. But the circumstances in
which He was placed enabled Him to exhibit more clearly the divinity of
His origin. He did not receive a liberal education, so that when He came
forward as a public teacher "the Jews marvelled, saying--How knoweth
this man letters _having never learned?_" [17:4] When He was only twelve
years old, He was "found in the temple sitting in the midst of the
doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions; and all that
heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers." [18:1] As
He grew up, He was distinguished by His diligent attendance in the house
of God; and it seems not improbable that He was in the habit of
officiating at public worship by assisting in the reading of the law and
the prophets; for we are told that, shortly after the commencement of
His ministry, "He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and,
as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath-day, and
_stood up for to read_." [18:2]

When He was about thirty years of age, and immediately before His public
appearance as a prophet, our Lord was baptized of John in Jordan. [18:3]
The Baptist did not, perhaps, preach longer than six months, [18:4] but
it is probable that during his imprisonment of considerably upwards of a
year, he still contributed to prepare the way of Christ; for, in the
fortress of Machaerus in which he was incarcerated, [18:5] he was not
kept in utter ignorance of passing occurrences, and when permitted to
hold intercourse with his friends, he would doubtless direct their
special attention to the proceedings of the Great Prophet. The claims of
John, as a teacher sent from God, were extensively acknowledged; and
therefore his recognition of our Lord as the promised Messiah, must have
made a deep impression upon the minds of the Israelites. The miracles of
our Saviour corroborated the testimony of His forerunner, and created a
deep sensation. He healed "all manner of sickness, and all manner of
disease." [19:1] It was, consequently, not strange that "His fame went
throughout all Syria," and that "there followe